Newly uncovered hotel receipts have revealed that the Tories allegedly covered up thousands of pounds in hotel bills to spend more on beating Nigel Farage in the key Thanet South seat.

An investigation revealed that the Conservatives did not declare more than £4,000 of hotel receipts which would have taken them over the legal spending limit for the constituency in the election.

The party now faces an internal investigation and even a police probe after the revelations about spending in a key seat, which Ukip leader Nigel Farage had vowed to win or promised to resign.

An investigation revealed that the Conservatives did not declare more than £4,000 of hotel receipts which would have taken them over the legal spending limit for the Thanet South constituency, where they beat Ukip leader Nigel Farage (pictured as the results were read out on May 13)

Nigel Farage defends failure to complain over Thanet South

Farage had promised to resign if he lost the Thanet South seat, but the next day the party refused to accept his resignation (pictured on May 14)

The news, uncovered by a Channel 4 investigation, comes amid reports that the Tories included a bill for £14,000 at the Royal Harbour Hotel in Ramsgate in their national expenses submission.

It means that the bill, submitted to the Electoral Commission, is not deducted from local campaign spending limits for the party fighting such a key constituency.

These are the latest in a series of allegations that the party breached guidelines for campaign spending, after it emerged that thousands more in receipts were not declared in by-elections.

Hundreds of receipts allegedly show the party failed to declare thousands of pounds in hotel bills, which suggests the party broke the £100,000 spending limit for each of three crucial by-elections.

At the time, the Conservative party was attempting to defeat a major threat from Ukip just months after Nigel Farage’s party won the 2014 European Parliament elections.

The Thanet South seat was seen as key in the General Election in 2015, as Farage’s charismatic leadership had brought the party to fame, and many thought that toppling him may end the threat that they posed the Tories.

Farage was defeated and the Tories went on to win an overall majority, but new allegation pose questions on the legality of their campaigning ahead of their shock victory.

The Channel 4 investigation revealed the receipt for £4,242.60, including bookings for six Conservative Party Members – one of whom stayed 12 nights during the campaign.

The amount would take them over the legal spending limits, put in place under the Representation of the People Act to prevent elections being skewed in favour of richer parties.

The Tories were accused of breaking spending limits in Rochester, where senior party staff, including David Cameron, pictured with candidate Kelly Tolhurst, made regular visits to the constituency in a bid to beat Ukip

The Rochester by-election in 2014 was won by Ukip’s Mark Reckless, pictured with Nigel Farage, despite the Tories outspending Ukip by thousands

Channel 4 News said it had also obtained undeclared hotel bills for 2014 by-elections in Clacton, Rochester and Newark, which showed the party paid for large numbers of party staff, campaigners and senior figures to fight the seats.

Lawyers told the programme that the evidence would provide grounds for a police investigation.

The Tories failed to beat Ukip in two of the by-elections – in Clacton they were overwhelmingly beaten by Douglas Carswell after he defected from the Conservatives, while they narrowly lost out to fellow Tory defector Mark Reckless.

They managed to beat Ukip in Newark, but at the time Mr Farage accused the Conservatives of breaching the spending limit.

The receipts claim to have uncovered £57,000 of undisclosed hotel bills in Rochester, which would have taken the party more than £50,000 over the spending limit.

In Clacton, the party was accused of more than £10,000 in overspend, while in Newark it was alleged of breaching the limit by more than £6,000 in hotel bills.

‘You have to have a law to make sure you don’t have unfair advantage,’ he said.

‘We need to look at whether the Electoral Commission should have the right powers. I will certainly be raising it.’

The elections watchdog said it was investigating and said it could pass on information to the police if it believed the allegations fell under the Representation of the of the People Act.

In a statement today the Electoral Commission complained that the Government had rejected its request for stronger investigative powers to sanction offences relating to candidate spending and donations.

Kelly Tolhurst, pictured left, failed to win the Rochester and Strood by-election despite claims that the party broke the spending limit by more than £50,000 but she beat Mark Reckless, pictured right, six months later at the 2015 General Election

Ukip won two of the three by-elections in question despite accusations that the Conservatives outspent them by tens of thousands of pounds

Kent, Nottinghamshire and Essex police – the three authorities that cover the three constituencies in question – said they had not yet received any complaints but said the Electoral Commission could hand over evidence if they judged the evidence breached the law.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘We have not received any reports relating to claims of overspending by a political party in the Newark by-election of 2014, and as such no investigation has been carried out.

‘Should we have a complaint from either a member of the public or from the Electoral Commission it will be given due consideration.’

Similar statements were given by Kent and Essex police.

A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: ‘We have been made aware of the allegations of spending breaches at three parliamentary by-elections.

‘Alleged breaches of the rules around candidate spending at by-elections or parliamentary general elections are matters for the police to investigate under the Representation of the People Act 1983.

‘The Electoral Commission only has powers to consider possible breaches of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act at general elections, which is the legislation we regulate.

‘We will be considering whether any of the allegations made last night also come within the Commission’s remit or are strictly matters for the police to investigate.

‘In 2013, prior to the last General Election, the Electoral Commission recommended that we should be provided with investigative powers and sanctions for offences relating to candidate spending and donations at specified elections.

‘We have not had responses from either the previous or the current Government to this recommendation.’

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